There are frequent applications for use of pumps to transport fluids or mixtures of fluids and solids. One such application is coal slurry transport. Because of the difficulty of pumping large quantities of fluid or fluid and solid mixtures, special pumps have been designed which are capable of surviving the high stresses of such pumping. One such pump design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,088 to Miller, issued on Dec. 18, 1973.
In designing such a pump, a number of factors are critical. First, the initial cost of the pump must be considered. The physical size of the pump is critical, particularly when the pump is to be used in a confined space. The cost of maintenance is also of great concern and is balanced against the initial cost. Also, the nature of the material being pumped can create great pulsation forces within the pump which can lead to damage unless efforts are made to reduce this pulsation action. While previous pump designs have attempted to optimize all of these features, a need still exists for the development of an improved pump design which better meets all of these design requirements.